The Jacksonville Jaguars sat out free agency for the most part, mainly focusing on re-signing their own players. However, they did make an external addition, inking running back Chris Rodriguez to a two-year deal. The move mostly flew under the radar because he appeared to be a major drop-off from Travis Etienne, who bolted for the New Orleans Saints.
On the other hand, Rodriguez showed potential with the Washington Commanders. Moreover, he posted a banner season under head coach Liam Coen at Kentucky.
When you add it all up, Rodriguez may be an underrated addition. A local beat writer believes that's the case, at least outside of Duval.
Chris Rodriguez will give the Jaguars backfield a massive boost
John Shipley of Sports Illustrated believes that the Chris Rodriguez signing is flying under the radar.
"But there is one decision that the Jaguars made this off-season that stands out amongst the rest as perhaps the most underrated and underappreciated, at least outside of Jacksonville, the signing of running back Chris Rodriguez."
Rodriguez was a sixth-round pick by the Commanders in 2023. In three seasons, he appeared in 35 games with seven starts, registering 920 yards with 10 touchdowns in 198 carries. The Riverdale, Georgia native was a restricted free agent, but Washington didn't tender him, effectively making him an unrestricted free agent.
Later in his column, Shipley points out that Rodriguez will help the Jacksonville running game in one key area.
"Liam Coen has already said what he values the most at the position, noting at the owner's meetings that rushing yards over expectation and yards after contact at the back position, and this is exactly where Rodriguez thrives, and where the Jaguars struggled a year ago," Shipley wrote.
And that's the thing. On paper, Rodriguez's production doesn't pop off the stat sheet. Last year, he toted the rock 112 times for 500 yards with five touchdowns. Solid, but not earth-shattering numbers. However, a closer look shows tha that the former Wildcat was highly productive, ranking second among 48th runnings in yards per attempt (4.0 yards). Similarly, his +0.7 yards over expectation per attempt were 14th.
A closer look shows that Rodriguez could end up having a big impact even if he's not getting nearly as much recognition.
Chris Rodriguez (and Bayshul Tuten) will help the Jaguars replace Travis Etienne
There's no doubt that losing Travis Etienne stings, but the Jaguars are high on sophomore Bhayshul Tuten, with Liam Coen stating that the coaching staff has yet to utilize his full skill set. Couple that with the arrival of Chris Rodriguez, and the cupboard won't be fully bare.
Granted, Etienne totaled 1,399 yards from scrimmage and a combined 13 touchdowns. Recreating that kind of production could turn out to be a tough task. Then again, Tuten and Rodriguez could more than be up for the challenge.
Contrary to what some analysts may say, though, Rodriguez won't be the featured back, even if he has more experience than Tuten. However, he'll still get a heavy workload.
On the other hand, there could be some valid concerns about Tuten's lack of experience, but he showed enough as a rookie to make you think that he can make a huge leap in Year 2. Specifically, the former Virginia Tech Hokie racked up 51 yards in just four carries in the playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills. Imagine what he could accomplish with a bigger role, with Rodriguez taking the pressure off his shoulders by sharing some of the workload.
The truth is that the Jaguars knew they couldn't keep Travis Etienne in free agency, but both Chris Rodriguez and Bhayshul Tuten are ready to fill in his shoes.
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